Known for its firecracker, match and printing industries, Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu is responsible for producing 90 per cent of the country’s fireworks. There are nearly 450 factories that provide direct employment to about 40,000 workers and indirect employment to about 1 lakh workers. However, for those employed here, life has been difficult with mishaps occurring so often.

13-year-old Jayakumar is the son of a victim of one such incident.  Ever since his mother, a daily wage labourer at one of the factories, suffered extensive burns as a result of one such accident, he decided that he wanted to figure out a way to prevent such mishaps and control the fire before it spread. With the help of his science teacher, Karunai Das, the class IX student developed an inexpensive fire extinguisher that triggers a water motor when it senses heat.

This is not Jayakumar’s first invention. Earlier, he had worked on developing an LPG gas leak sensor that works on the same principle, which won him national recognition.

The fire extinguisher has been provided with a heat sensor that detects a rise in temperature that could be caused due to friction. This triggers an alarm, which is connected to a water tank and a motor. A sprinkler that will douse the flames is activated without delay. At the Beyond Carlton Memorial function held on February 27, he demonstrated and explained how the device works with the help of a sensor and a cardboard model of a factory. At present, he is working with his teacher to develop the fire extinguisher model on a larger scale.

Words: Krupa Joseph